


心はいつも正直でいたい (kokoro wa itsu mo shōjiki de itai)

by 6thafterglow



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Friends to Lovers, Nothing explicit, Probably ooc, Slow Burn, afterglow centered, lot of bad words, mentions of sex 'cause they're teens, moca is dumb and ran is dumb, moca is insecure about herself kinda, moca/lisa friendship, mocaran is the main focus, the rest are Background
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-07-10 13:37:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15950438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/6thafterglow/pseuds/6thafterglow
Summary: “Hello, Lisa? Moca-Chan has a question.” Moca listened for the girl’s response, pausing to get her wits about her. “Is it gay to dream about kissing your best friend?”Or the one where Moca realizes she's in love with Ran and then acts like an idiot.Title is a line from Scarlet Sky! It translates to "I Want to Always Be True to My Heart"





	1. Chapter 1

Moca couldn't move. Not that she really wanted to, the current position she was in was more than welcomed. Her hands were pinned just above her head and her body felt hot all over, her mind was fuzzy and she couldn’t think straight. Her legs, surrounded by a pair of strong thighs shook slightly, wanting more.

 

A hand that was not her own blazed a trail of fire up and down her side, somehow igniting her skin more than it already was. The hand slowly, torturously pushed her shirt up little by little, stopping just below her chest.

 

A pair of surprisingly soft lips were pressed against Moca’s own. There was the faintest taste of strawberry lip gloss that Moca swore she hadn’t put on earlier. Her eyes were closed, allowing her to focus on the sensations around her, but not allowing her to see the person straddling her waist.

 

Even so, Moca knew who it was. She recognized the scent, subtle yet so sweet, distinctive from anything else shes experienced. The new but somehow familiar feeling of butterflies fluttering about her stomach that seemingly only happened when they were around, despite never being  _ this  _ close before.

 

She wasn't entirely sure when she had felt it before now, but somehow she just  _ knew  _ it had something to do with the person on top of her.

 

Something to do with  _ her. _

 

***

 

Moca woke up from her dream, only slightly surprised. After all, she had a feeling something like this would happen, but she wasn’t sure when. Reaching for her phone, she went to look for answers. She hardly had time to think before the person she had dialed answered.

 

“Hello, Lisa? Moca-Chan has a question.” Moca listened for the girl’s response, pausing to get her wits about her. “Is it gay to dream about kissing your best friend?”

 

“Moca? What kind of question is that, you know that's how I realized I liked Yukina.”

 

“Hmm…” Moca started. Silence followed as Lisa waited for Moca to continue her train of that. “Lisa, how much do you think it would cost to change my name and move out of the country to start a new life?”

 

“Don’t bother, Moca. I looked into that too, and it's expensive as hell. You'd have to stop eating 10 buns a day and you couldn't buy anymore manga. Even then you'd have to save for a few years.”

 

“...Lisa is good at saving money, right?”

 

“No, Moca, I'm not letting you borrow money to change your name and move out of the country.”

 

“Meanie.”

 

“you should just talk to Ran.” Lisa suggested.

 

“How do you know it's Ran that I'm talking about? It could be Himari or Tomoe.”

 

“Yeah but they have a thing for each other already, you told me.”

 

“What if its Tsugu?” Moca asked, mainly just to stall.

 

“The same Tsugu that’s head over heels for Sayo?”

 

“You're right. Guess it's Sayo-San’s turn to have a crush on Tsugu.” Moca spoke absentmindedly.

 

“Besides, if you left, who else would I dare to chug the slushies straight from the spout?” Lisa chuckled, probably just relieved Moca had calmed down.

 

“Moca-Chan’s talents are needed here in Japan.” she feigned a sigh before continuing “I guess I have to stay here then.”

 

“Do you want me to come over after school? We can talk about it and figure out what your options are.”

 

“Thanks Lisa, but the only possible option is to ignore the problem altogether.”

 

“You know what I tried that too, but Yukina figured out something was wrong anyway.” Lisa said, probably an attempt to get Moca to talk about it.

 

“Lisa, your situation with Yukina was hardly the same! You and Yukina had the biggest boners for each other and everyone knew it.”

 

There was silence for a moment before Lisa asked “whos was bigger?”

 

“Yours of course Lisa! I didn't get us matching BDE shirts for nothing.”

 

“Thank god, Yukina’s already better than me at everything, can't have her win this too.”

 

“Hey, Lisa?” Moca began, having one last question before she hung up to get ready for school. “Do you think I’m a bottom? ‘Cause Ran was topping in my dream and honestly dream me is a fool for thinking  _ Ran  _ of all people could top.”

 

Lisa burst out giggling, speaking in between laughter, “Moca, you must have it bad. There’s no way in the world that would happen. Oh my god that’s like saying that  _ Yukina  _ is a top.”

 

“Dream Moca-Chan is a stupid ho. She probably just wanted that pwussy.”

 

“Maybe if she gets more comfortable with it, she’d be able to… just the other day when Yukina and I were-”

 

“Okay Lisa that’s enough. I want to be able to see Yukina without giving off that I know something because she’d probably ask you about it.”

 

“You’re right, she’d probably stop talking to me for a week if she knew.”

 

“Anyway, see you at school Lisa. Let’s hope my feelings for Ran were just a dream.”

 

“Bye Moca! Let me know what you figure out!”

 

“Okay Lisa I’ll tell you the date of my funeral, make sure I’m buried with my favorite hoodie and you wear our BDE shirt so we can match!” Moca heard a soft laugh before the line went silent.

 

Noticing the time, she quickly got dressed in her school uniform and headed over to Ran’s house. Ran was a heavy sleeper, so Moca decided a while ago that she’d go to wake her up and walk to school together. At some point, Ran’s father started making breakfast for both of them to eat as a thank you for Moca being such a great friend.

 

“‘Sup pops what’s cookin’” she greeted, walking in and poking her head in the kitchen as a greeting.

 

“Good morning Moca. She was up kinda late I think, so good luck waking her up.”

 

“Moca-Chan is a pro at this, there’s no need to worry.” Ran’s father chuckled as Moca made her way up the stairs and into Ran’s room where said girl was sleeping.

 

If Moca thought her crush would’ve been just a dream crush, she was dead wrong. Ran was lying on her stomach, arms wrapped around the pillow under her head. The softest of looks, one that filled Moca’s stomach with butterflies, was on her face. Ran was a powerful being, and Moca was nothing but a weak useless lesbian.

 

She pulled out her phone to send a text to Lisa that read “It’s real and Moca-Chan is royally fucked. Please donate to her Moving Out of The Country fund, arigatogozaimasu.”

 

Taking a breath to get herself together, Moca approached Ran’s bed, calling her name multiple times. “Raaan. Raaaaaaan.” the girl in question merely pulled the blanket over her head, mumbling something along the lines of “go away.” Moca laughed, undeterred, and continued. “Ran, if you don’t wake up I’m going to sit on you.”

 

Ran pulled the blanket back just enough for Moca to see the fierce look in one of her eyes, “You wouldn’t.”

 

“Or would I?” No response. Moca let the silence settle for about a minute. “Okay, Ran, you asked for it.” She declared before ungracefully plopping herself down on Ran’s butt. She adjust herself to lie flat across Ran’s back, Ran groaning the whole time.

 

“Get off, Moca!” She squirmed a little bit, knocking Moca off of her back and onto the bed next to her.

 

“I told you I was gonna do it, Ran.”

 

“I didn’t think you were serious!”

 

Moca climbed back over Ran, adjusting her uniform a bit. “Get dressed and meet me downstairs. I’m gonna convince your dad to give me some of your food since you’re a big meanie.”

 

“He already gives you more than me!” Ran exclaimed as Moca walked out, closing the door behind her. All she could do was chuckle and try to prepare herself for the long day ahead of her. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moca had overlooked a crucial detail when Ran announced her staying over. Since the two of them had sleepovers quite frequently, there was nothing to worry about, right? Wrong.

Being in the same band as your crush sucked. And not in the “we have to be Professional” way but more in the “I have to see your cute face and generally spend a lot of time with you constantly and sometimes I don't really know how to handle it and/or myself” way.

 

Under normal circumstances, they made you happy, and the more time you spend together, the better.

 

Not in Aoba Moca’s case. She had to endure long periods of time with Ran, and she wasn't allowed to flirt with her too much, otherwise everyone would get suspicious. Unfortunately for her, right now was one of those times.

 

Moca and the other members of Afterglow were currently taking a quick break before getting back to band practice, which gave Moca a much needed break… or so she had hoped.

 

“Arisa and Kasumi have been especially close lately.”

 

“Of course, they’re dating.”

 

Himari sat bolt upright from her sprawled out on the floor position, “for real?”

 

“Yeah, Himari. Haven’t you noticed Arisa being slightly less… Arisa lately?”

 

Moca’s eyes flitted over to Ran for a split second. Not long enough for the others to notice, but long enough to see Ran’s reaction to Himari’s and Tsugu’s conversation. Despite being the group’s Ran interpreter, Moc didn’t really know what to make of the expression on her face. She was just as closed off as ever.

 

“Haha. Of course, Himari would be the last to notice.”

 

“Tomoe!” Himari pouted.

 

“I… Didn't notice either.” Ran admitted, looking bashful.

 

“No offense Ran, but all you pay attention to is the band.” Himari responded.

 

“And how much you hate your parents.” Moca spoke up.

 

“I don't hate my parents though.”

 

“Yeah, but it's almost a punk rock standard to hate them.”

 

“Moca, what are you talking about?” asked Tsugumi.

Moca just giggled and went back to staring at the scuff mark on her shoe. Similar to Himari, she was lying on the floor, but with her legs stretched against the wall.

 

Moca felt a strange jealousy toward Arisa. And it wasn’t because she was dating Kasumi - not that there was anything  _ wrong  _ with Kasumi, she just wasn't the vocalist Moca had her eyes on - but because she was dating her crush in general.

 

Arisa got past the awkward having a crush on your best friend/bandmate stage and moved on into the seemingly great dating said best friend/bandmate. She could hold hands with her and kiss her and go on dates… things Moca has been thinking about more often recently, since realizing her feelings for Ran weren't normal “friendship” feelings.

 

Moca might seem nonchalant about most things in her life, but her feelings for Ran were strong enough to make her daydream about the vocalist on multiple occasions. In a way she felt sort of stupid for liking her best friend. After all, they’ve been friends for years - if something were to happen between them, it probably would’ve happened by now… right?

 

Their bond was strong enough that Moca didn't think they'd end their friendship if she ever told Ran her true feelings. She had no doubt that it would be a bit awkward for a time, but they'd eventually get through it and move on. The same as always. 

 

Moca was almost 100% certain that Ran didn't reciprocate her feelings, and she wasn't entirely sure how she should feel about it.

 

On the one hand, she was glad that she'd never have to risk their friendship or the band. On the other hand… she really wanted Ran to be her girlfriend, more than she was willing to admit to herself. When Moca had first realized her feelings and thought thoroughly about what could happen, she really surprised herself with the intensity of it all, the burning inside her to be with Ran in a way she had never thought of before.

 

She put her train of thought on hold when she felt a pair of eyes on her. Looking around, she noticed Himari staring at her with a slightly confused expression on her face. Before Moca could question Himari about it, Ran had announced that they had to get back to practicing. Moca figured asking Himari would have to wait, so she just shrugged it off until after practice.

 

\--

 

“Good job, guys!” Tomoe complimented as they were packing up. “We’ll definitely be ready by our next performance!”

 

“I dunno Tomo-Chiin,” Moca began, carefully placing her beloved guitar back into it’s case. She let the sentence hang in the air a little longer, knowing Tomoe and the others were anticipating Moca’s teasing. “Hii-Chan seems to be messing up the verse right before the chorus. How will Afterglow perform well if their leader almost cries during most of the songs?”

 

“Moca!” Himari yelped, tears forming in her eyes already.

 

“Just kidding.” Moca grinned, hoping she could get away with it before Tomoe had the chance to scold her. She was out of luck today, it seemed.

 

“Moca, that’s not nice,” Tomoe started. Moca always knew she had a soft spot for Himari but that made it difficult for Moca to tease her as often as she’d like.

 

“I am so sorry Hii-Chan, how will I ever make it up to you? Colon dash closed parentheses.”

 

“...What?” 

 

“I think she just made an emoticon sad face but out loud...”

 

“Bingo! As expected of Tsugu!”

 

“Well anyway, Moca you can buy me something from Yamabuki bakery on the way home!”

 

“For once in my life Hii-Chan, I wasn’t going to Yamabuki’s after practice.”

 

“Well you are now!” Himari began, pushing Moca out the door of the studio. “Good job everyone, see you later!”

 

Moca assumed this was about whatever made Himari stare at her, so she put up with it out of sheer curiosity. She figured it probably wouldn’t be anything too bad, but then again, Himari never really acted like this for no reason.

 

Himari looked around to make sure none of the others had followed her before turning to face Moca, a huge smile on her face. “You like Ran.”

 

Well, shit, that was definitely not what Moca had expected to come out of her best friend’s mouth. Still, she had to play it off. “Of course I do, Hii-Chan. I like everyone in Afterglow.”

 

“No, Moca! You like like Ran. You want to be her girlfriend.” Himari was practically squealing at this point, apparently super excited about the prospect of one of her best friends “like like-ing” the other.

 

“Wow, Hii-Chan, I’m surprised you noticed something that wasn’t Tomo-Chiin’s super huge arm muscles.”

 

“Or Kaoru’s long legs and handsome face, but that’s beside the point! I always knew you’d end up together!”

 

“Hold up, Hii-Chan. I don’t even think Ran likes me lie that.” Moca explained, desperately trying to get the other to calm down before she had an aneurysm in the middle of the sidewalk. She started walking toward Yamabuki Bakery, deciding they had stood still for too long to be considered normal.

 

“Oh my gosh, Moca. Of course she likes you back? I thought I was the stupid one.”

 

“You still are.”   
  


“Yeah, but even I can tell that Ran has the hugest boner for you.”

 

“Lisa says mine is bigger,” the guitarist shared. She felt it was a very important piece of information and absolutely positively vital to the situation.

 

“That’s not important right now. We still have to figure out how you’re going to tell Ran!”

 

“Or I could not tell Ran? My current plan is to move out of the country and change my name, but Lisa said that’s too expensive. I trust her and all but anything is possible, y’know?”

 

“You have to tell her, Moca!” Himari was getting frustrated, but Moca was adamant that Ran never found out. 

 

“I never told Tsugu when I had a crush on her, and neither did you or Tomo-Chiin.” 

 

“ _ Everyone  _ has a crush on Tsugu at some point, she’s just that good. Who’s turn is it right now, anyway?”

 

“Sayo-San, although this time is different because I think Tsugu likes her too.” Moca finished her statement just as they arrived at the bakery. She held the door open for Himari and followed her inside. “Hii-Chan you have to order off the dollar menu because that’s all I have right now.”

 

“We don’t have a dollar menu, Moca.” Laughed Saaya, putting bread away behind the counter.

 

“Ah, if it isn’t my future wife! How are you today, bae?” strolling up to the counter, Moca felt Himari punch her on the shoulder.

 

Saaya rolled her eyes, already used to Moca’s antics. “I’m great, Moca. What can I get the two of you?”

 

“Nothing for me, I’m paying for Hii-Chan. But I think we have to go somewhere else because she can only get something off the dollar menu.”

 

“Very funny, Moca,” Himari rolled her eyes before telling Saaya what she wanted. Moca handed her the money and the two girls said their goodbyes as they walked out.

 

They walked most of the way in silence, Moca thinking about her Ran situation and Himari stuffing half of the sweets in her mouth at once.

 

If she told Ran, there were two possible ways this could go. The first being that Ran miraculously returns her feelings and they begin a very awkward but mostly happy lesbian relationship with each other. They could kiss and hold hands and cuddle and just be the tooth-rotting couple that Yukina and Lisa were, that Himari and Tomoe would definitely be once Himari gets her head out of her ass - in a good way, of course. Moca loved Himari, head in her ass and all.

 

The second, way less desirable possibility: Ran doesn’t like Moca back and then they have to deal with learning how to be friends again, if possible. Moca would have to deal with rejection and the very real chance that Ran might want someone else instead. It would definitely put a strain on the band, too, if Moca’s feelings never went away.

 

They stopped walking, having reached their unofficial meetup spot. Himari turned to Moca, a softer but still just as big smile on her face, “Please consider telling Ran. You two would be the cutest couple.”

 

As Moca and Himari parted ways in front of Tomoe’s house, Moca had only one thought on her mind - Ran could never find out.

 

-

 

Moca had always known the “gay people can’t sit properly” stereotype, but she never thought about how it applied to her until she realized how often she’d lie on the floor in her room with her legs propped up onto her bed. This was her position when her door opened to reveal Ran holding an overnight bag, wearing her usual unimpressed face with the slightest hint of anger.

 

Ran closed the door behind her, depositing her bag on the floor and immediately going to sit down on Moca’s bed.

 

“Yay, sleepover.” Moca exclaimed, watching Ran’s reaction out of the corner of her eye. She softly smiled causing Moca to drop her phone on her face. Ran burst out into the biggest fit of giggles, and Moca was a goner. She’d take the pain a dozen times over if it meant hearing Ran laugh like that again.

 

After calming down, Ran looked off somewhere to the right. “My dad is being difficult again, so I figured I’d stay here for tonight. We can just go to practice together tomorrow since there’s no school.”

 

“Don’t remind me of practice,” Moca pouted. Tsugumi had to help out with her parents cafe in the afternoon, and Moca was scheduled for a later shift at the convenience store, so the band scheduled practice for early morning. 

 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, it’s too early and Moca needs her beauty sleep and so on and so forth.” Ran stood, making her way to the door. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

 

Moca had overlooked a crucial detail when Ran announced her staying over. Since the two of them had sleepovers quite frequently, there was nothing to worry about, right? Wrong.

 

When they had met at the age of five, Ran had never been to a sleepover before. When Moca insisted she stay at Ran’s house one night because they lived so close, the two of them shared a bed, since it was a last minute thing and the Mitakes never really had guests over.

 

The girls didn’t mind, and actually enjoyed it to the point where they’d still share a bed at Moca’s house despite her mom buying a futon for Moca’s friends. From then on, they continued sharing a bed, upgrading the size once the bed was too small to fit both girls comfortably. 

 

Moca never really considered how sleepovers would change now that she went from “Super-Cool-Suave” Moca to “Pining-Desperate-Not-Cool” Moca, but even just the thought of the two of them sharing a bed reminded her of the Cursed Dream that made her realize her gay feelings in the first place.

 

She grabbed her phone to text the only person who could help her right now.

 

_ To: Lisa _ _ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) _

_ Ran is staying over and i’m a useless lesbian what do i do :-((((( _

 

_ From: Lisa _ _ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) _

_ That’s tough dude. Alexa play Sleepover by Hayley Kiyoko _

 

_ To: Lisa _ _ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) _

_ Alexa please fcuking myrder me in my sleep _

 

_ From: Lisa _ _ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) _

_ What happened to chivalry :/ you should ask Alexa to murder both of you _

 

_ To: Lisa( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) _

_ Alexa send a hitman to Lisa’s house _

 

_ From: Lisa( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) _

_ I’m at Yukina’s tonight good luck finding me _

 

_ From: Lisa( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) _

_ wait fuck _

 

Moca’s door opened to reveal Ran, who immediately went to start changing into pajamas, since it was already getting late. This was also a thing that happened multiple times but was now seen in a different context. Moca’s always been a lesbian, but has Ran always been this hot?  _ Well, probably. _

 

_ To: Lisa _

_ Why are her thighs so strong-looking? _

 

_ To: Lisa _

_ She could probably crush my skull between them _

 

_ To: Lisa _

_ Is it bad that i kind of want her to? _

 

_ From: Lisa _

_ You’re in deep, bro. I pray u have a speedy recovery _

 

“I’m going to bed since we have practice early tomorrow,” Ran announced, making herself comfortable on “her side” of Moca’s bed. “Goodnight, Moca.”

 

Moca went to join Ran, having a feeling she wouldn’t be able to sleep much with Ran so close to her. “Goodnight, Ran.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!! This was initially supposed to be chapter 1 but I randomly got inspired by something else to write the dream scene and then it just kinda kept going?? I finished this chapter at like 4am the other day but I told myself to proofread the next day instead of rushing to post it and boy am I glad I did because I had so many errors rip.
> 
> Anyway, I'm not really too fond of using honorifics in fanfiction but for a lot of Moca's nicknames, it would look and sound weird without them so I'm keeping them.
> 
> I know that there haven't really been any MocaRan interactions like. At all. But I really wanted to write MocaHima and MocaLisa brotp because the power of friendship, ya know.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So if she's goth, what are the rest of us?” Himari asked, focusing on the wrong thing again.
> 
> “We're all varying levels of emo, besides Tsugu. Tsugu is a prep. We stick our middle fingers up at her.”

Sometimes, Moca hated how she was always right. It was useful when she wanted to tease Himari or Ran about something, and it was helpful when she had tests that she hadn’t studied for. However, it was certainly  _ not _ helpful when it came to her predicting that her impromptu sleepover with Ran would be nothing but trouble.

 

She had managed to fall asleep, but was woken up by a warm weight across her stomach. Ran was out like a log, curled onto her side, one arm around Moca’s waist. She’s always been a cuddler but usually it only happened after they had both fallen asleep, so it’s never been a problem for Awake Moca.

 

Ran’s father might not have done everything right in his life, but he did a fantastic job with his daughter. It certainly wasn’t fair that she was just that fucking  _ beautiful  _ but also unavailable. It was as if some magical being got tired of Moca being able to have whatever she wanted in life, so they decided to give Moca the world’s biggest crush on her best friend that probably wasn’t gay and also not interested in a dumb girl who eats buns and sleeps most of the time.

 

Moca allowed herself to give in, just this once. She held Ran back, snuggling close to the other. For once in her life, Moca didn’t mind being awake. She didn’t mind the thought of being exhausted during band practice and later on that day at work, she didn’t care that Lisa would definitely tease her for weeks to come if she found out. All that mattered was the warmth she felt coming from Ran as they cuddled, relaxing her and filling her heart in ways she’d never realized.

 

\--

 

“Rain always makes Moca-chan sleepy.”

 

“Everything makes you sleepy, Moca.”

 

“Hmm. You're right, Ran,” Moca chuckled.

 

“Well, we still have to get to the studio,” a small frown appeared on the vocalist’s face. “We're gonna get soaked…”

 

Honestly, Moca shouldn't have found the pout on her friend's face as cute as she did, but she couldn't help it. There was just something about it that made Moca’s heart skip a beat.

 

“You can borrow one of my hoodies?” offered the ivory haired girl. She went to find a clean spare for her friend to wear before they headed to practice.

 

“Thanks,” Ran replied, reaching for the garment. “This should be okay now.”

 

Moca looked up and almost immediately regretted it.  _ This is it. This is how I die. Ran is wearing my hoodie…  _

 

“Let's go,” urged the black haired girl, eager to not be late.

 

Thankfully, the rain allowed Moca to pull herself together, not allowing much room for conversation as the pair instead focused on getting to the studio before they got soaked. Ran never liked staying out in the rain for long.

 

Ran didn't like a lot of things. She doesn't like green beans, being alone, the way her father seems to always have a problem with what she does. She didn’t like the inferior feeling she got when it came to certain things, and she absolutely didn’t like talking about her feelings.

 

Yet, Moca seemed to be undeniably in love with the girl, and probably has been for a while. Moca doesn’t really understand how she hadn’t noticed before. It’s not like she had just found out she was attracted to girls - Moca had known pretty much since she was able to understand feelings and romance. She’s never been afraid to tell the others about her “Pretty Girl Sightings” and describe their wedding in great detail (usually only ending because one of the others told her to shut up) or go on and on about one idol or another.

 

She had always known girls were an option when it came to romance, but for some reason the venn diagram of options for dating and girls she knew only had one factor in common up until now, and that was a short-lived crush on Tsugumi back in middle school when they first started the band and Moca believed that Tsugu being so Tsugurific was the cutest thing in the world.

 

Her train of thought screeched to a halt when they arrived at the studio, leaving their umbrella by the door and greeting Marina before heading to their assigned room for the day.

 

“Ran! Moca! I'm so glad you guys made it without getting too wet…” greeted Tsugumi.

 

“Even if we had, we'd still practice the same as always.” Moca said, walking over to Himari.

 

She made sure she was out of Ran’s hearing distance before speaking. “Hii-Chan, I'm in trouble.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“Do you see what Ran’s wearing? This is the end of Moca-Chan.”

 

Himari peeked over Moca’s shoulder, eyes widening slightly when she looked at Ran. “Is that your hoodie?”

 

“She looks so cute…”

 

“Oh my gosh, it has your last name on it! Does that mean you finally told her how you feel?”

 

“Is she still talking to Moca-Chan?”

 

“...yes? You guys literally just walked in together,” Himari replied, tilting her head with a puzzled look on her face.

 

“Then no, I haven't.” 

 

“You have to tell her eventually, Moca!”

 

“Hii-Chan, I’ve tried.” Moca responded, absently tuning her guitar.

 

“Have you tried hard enough?” came Himari’s (unhelpful) response. “Maybe you should make it more obvious!”

 

Moca looked between Himari and Ran, who was only a few feet away, talking to Tsugumi. The gray haired girl strummed her guitar, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. “I love you, bitch,” Moca pointed at Ran before strumming again. “I ain’t never gonna stop loving you, bitch.”

 

Ran stared at Moca for a split second before responding “that’s nice” and turning back to Tsugumi.

 

“See what I mean?” Moca laughed, not at all surprised by her failed attempt at confessing to Ran.

 

“Mmm, I don't know, Moca! It looks like she's blushing over there.”

 

Moca looked up, not allowing herself to get her hopes up. And yet… Ran was standing there, small blush on her face, looking as beautiful as ever.

 

“Hii-Chan, this is bad. This is really really bad.” Sighing in defeat, Moca continued. “I just want Ran to be my goth gf.”

 

“Why did you say ‘gf’ instead of saying the whole word?”

 

“That’s what you’re worried about, Hii-Chan? No wonder your grades are bad, you focus on the wrong things.”

 

“Moca!” the pink haired girl exclaimed, drawing the attention of the rest of the group.

 

Tomoe chuckled, “stop teasing her, Moca.”

 

“No fair, Tomo-Chiin. You don’t even know what I said.” Moca defended herself, if only to avoid a lecture.

 

“So if she's goth, what are the rest of us?” Himari asked, focusing on the wrong thing again.

 

“We're all varying levels of emo, besides Tsugu. Tsugu is a prep. We stick our middle fingers up at her.”

 

The other four stared at Moca in confused silence, until one of them let out a slight giggle. To everyone's surprise, it was Ran who laughed.

 

“You know, what she's talking about, Ran?” Himari asked, head cocked to the side in curiosity.

 

“I have no idea.” Ran responded, clearly lying. Her cheeks were tinged red, still giggling.

 

“Of course she does, she's a goth after all,” declared Moca.

 

“I'm the goth you were talking about?” Ran asked, connecting the dots faster than the others. She crossed her arms, “why were you talking about me?”

 

Moca could see the panic on Himari’s face - after all, she's a terrible liar. She once told Tsugu that they were talking about kicking her out of the band to cover up a surprise birthday party. It took half an hour to calm Tsugumi down, even after explaining that they were just planning a party for her.

 

“Moca-Chan was telling Hii-Chan that Lisa said having a goth gf was really nice, and we wanted to list who else we know is goth,” Moca explained, hoping Ran would understand the meaning. 

 

The room fell silent. The silence lasted an uncomfortably long time, long enough for Moca to start second guessing her decision to tell Ran how she felt.

 

Does Ran even even like girls? If she did, would she like Moca? Is Ran weirded out? Does she hate Moca? Will this ruin their friendship? How will it affect the band? Thoughts raced through her head, until suddenly-

 

“Hikawa-San is goth too.” Four heads turned toward Ran, who was blushing and looking away. Most likely from the unexpected attention. “Pretty much all of Roselia is, except Imai-San.”

 

Moca smiled and looked down at her guitar before chuckling. “I guess you're right. Thanks, Ran.” Rejected twice in one day, Moca’s already little hope of Ran returning her feelings were being squashed, slowly and painfully. 

 

“Uh, shouldn't we start practice now?”

 

“Tsugu’s right, is everyone else ready?” Tomoe asked, hoping to clear the air.

 

The rest of practice went by smoothly, but Moca wasn’t entirely there mentally. Of course, she did everything perfectly - she  _ is  _ Moca , after all - but it’s like she couldn’t focus entirely on the task at hand.

 

\--

 

“Moca, wake your lazy ass up,” Moca swatted at the finger poking her cheek, turning the other way so the offender wouldn’t be able to continue.

 

“Not now, Lisa. I’m having a veeery nice dream where a cute girl is sitting in my lap.”

 

“Gross,” Lisa fake gagged. “I don’t want to listen to your wet dreams about Ran.”

 

“If I have to listen to you talk about yours and Yukina’s sex life, you have no room to complain.”

 

“The difference here is that Yukina and I talked about our feelings and now we’re dating. You should try it, it might be good for you.” Lisa urged, poking at Moca’s side now.

 

“Try dating Yukina? Lisa I don’t think either of you would like that,” she retorted, finally giving up on sleep. She sat up and rested her head in the palm of her right hand, rubbing her eyes with the left.

 

“You know what I meant, asshole.”

 

“I’m telling you, Lisa. Fleeing the country sounds so much more fun.”

 

than talking about feelings. Ew, who does that?”

 

“Normal people, Moca.”

 

“You can’t say anything about being normal, your girlfriend has a cat ears kink. She’s practically a furry.”

 

“She’s not a furry,” Lisa paused, and Moca could tell there was an internal debate going on. “And it’s not just the ears… it’s the collar too.”

 

“Definitely a furry, then,” Moca decided, earning herself another poke in the side. “Does she ask you to say nya while you’re wearing it.”

 

“Moca, shut the  _ fuck  _ up,” Lisa said, right before the door jingled open. Walking inside were the two girls they’d least expected to see, especially together.

 

Yukina walked up to the counter, followed by a very awkward looking Ran. Lisa was still blushing, and Moca was suddenly interested in a wet spot on the counter, most likely from a customer setting a cold drink down for a second. She’s sure that both girls looked extremely guilty, as if they had been caught doing something wrong.

 

“Yukina! Ran, what are you guys doing here?” Lisa asked, clearing her throat. Moca stifled a giggle, seeing Lisa flick her off discreetly behind the counter.

 

“Mitake-San and I were going to have a coffee and go over a few things when I remembered that you still have my wallet.” Yukina explained, looking back and forth between the employees.

 

“Ah, right! Sorry, Yukina! I’ll be right back.” Lisa walked to the backroom where her purse and by extension, Yukina’s wallet were. This left Moca alone with the two lead singers.

 

Moca exaggeratedly looked Ran up and down, smirking to herself. She grabbed a notepad and scribbled some things down before folding it up and handing it to Ran. “Here’s Moca’s number, you should call me sometime.”

 

Ran blushed profusely, taking the note and putting it into her pocket without looking. “You do this everytime I come in here, Moca.”

 

“I don’t think so, I would’ve remembered seeing a pretty lady like you.”

 

Ran rolled her eyes, still blushing when Lisa came back.

 

Lisa looked between Ran and Moca, and then looked at Yukina, who had stood silent and watched the ordeal happen before her, an amused look on her face. The two Roselia members seemed to have an unspoken conversation, Lisa chuckling at Yukina’s confused yet amused expression. “Here it is, Yukina! Ran, please make sure she doesn’t put too much sugar in her coffee.”

 

Ran looked shocked to be addressed directly, mumbling out a “sure” before looking off to the side. Moca stared, enjoying how embarrassed Ran got over certain things. For someone so seemingly fearless when it came to performing on stage, she was a complete and total mess in person. Moca loved every aspect of her personality.

 

Lisa walked around the counter, hugging Yukina and giving her a quick peck on the lips, causing her to blush.

 

“Let’s go, Mitake-San.” Yukina urged, probably trying to get out of the awkward atmosphere. Ran quickly turned around, also in a hurry to get out of there.

 

“Don’t forget to c-” Moca started, getting cut off before she could finish.

 

“Yeah, I know, see you later,” Ran rushed out, letting the door jingle closed behind her.

 

Moca slumped against the counter, sighing heavily.

 

“Are you sure she’s not gay, Moca?”

 

“She’s the only one in Afterglow who hasn’t had a crush on Tsugu, Lisa. Having a crush on Tsugu is like a lesbian rite of passage!” Of the very few reasons Moca had to believe Ran wasn’t gay, this was probably the biggest one.

 

“You are hopeless.”

 

“So are you. Yukina walks in and you immediately forget how to talk.”

 

“Of course, haven’t you seen her? She’s hot enough to start fires. Hey, now that I think about it, wasn’t Ran wearing your jacket?”

 

“She looks so good, Lisa! It was raining when we were heading to band practice and she didn’t want to get wet so I gave her a jacket and now I regret it because I got so distracted during practice that I messed up a line. That’s not like Moca at all. I’m convinced that whoever runs the simulation is just toying with me at this point. Last night, I had trouble sleeping because Ran’s cute and I’m gay and that’s a dangerous combination.”

 

“It’s so fun seeing you like this, since you teased me like an asshole for forever after I realized I liked Yukina.”

 

“She found out after a week because you asked her to marry you and dropped your drink that day she wore a ponytail.”

 

“I will not tolerate this slander.” Lisa pouted, embarrassed that Moca would bring up the Incident again. “Besides, everyone and their mother knows Yukina looks good in a ponytail.”

 

“Almost as good as Ran looks wearing my jacket,” Moca sighed, frustrated with her situation once again. “Oh, hey, do you happen to know how Arisa and Kasumi got together?”

 

“Kasumi asked the others to write a song for them to perform as a solo and Arisa wrote hers about being in love with Kasumi but in a tsundere way.”

 

“Well then how did Kasumi find out? She’s not smart enough to read between the lines.”

 

“She kept asking Arisa who wouldn’t answer and finally Tae had enough and yelled ‘it’s about you, dipshit’ in the middle of band practice.”

 

“Fucking superb, you funky little lesbians.” Moca thought for a second before she sat up, an invisible lightbulb above her head. “We should make a groupchat with us three and it’ll be named Totally Cool People With Unfortunate Crushes on their Oblivious Lead Singers.”

 

“We wouldn’t need one if you’d just stop being a little bitch and told her.”

 

“At band practice today I copied the I love you bitch vine and she responded with ‘that’s nice,’ Lisa. After that, I was talking to Himari about how I wanted Ran to be my goth gf and she found out we were talking about her and shot me down again. Face it, Moca-Chan is wasting her time here.” Moca pouted, unusually down for someone so aloof.

 

Lisa had no response, she could only watch as her friend absentmindedly traced some words on the counter, wishing she could ease Moca’s pain in some way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My longest chapter yet and coincidentally the chapter that started it all! I was watching a Vine compilation one day and I was struck with sudden inspiration by [this vine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QoHrMPaLUs) and that's how this mess came to be.
> 
> The goth/prep thing is from a Harry Potter fanfiction called [My Immortal](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6829556/2/My-Immortal) (link in case you don't get the reference) and the hating your parents thing about pop punk kids is because I'm a retired emo/pop punk kid that likes to tell everyone about it, apparently.
> 
> I've been dealing with some personal things lately which is why I haven't been posting consistently but I hope the length this chapter makes up for it! Next chapter I'm hoping to include a lot of MocaRan scenes so uhhh yeah thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m posting this on Instagram. Our fans need to know that we’re eating properly.”
> 
> “You’re a nerd,” rolling her eyes, Ran waited for Moca to put her phone down before starting to eat her food, not wanting to ruin her picture.
> 
> “I’m serious, Ran! I saw some comments on our songs saying ‘are they eating healthy? Are they getting enough sleep?’ and things like that. This is my way of answering those questions indirectly.”

To Moca, Ran was more than any played out cliche about the moon and the stars. She was more than the sun shining in the sky, more than the ocean with it’s depth and mystery.

 

Ran was without a doubt, the love of Moca’s life. Her other half, her better half, her soulmate, the one Moca wanted to spend the rest of her life with. In all honesty, Moca had no idea how she hadn’t noticed anything beforehand. Her feelings for Ran seemed so natural, so obvious, as if things were always meant to end up this way since the day they met back when they were five.

 

After her great Realization, Moca's become more aware of just how far she'd go to see Ran smile. She had always assumed up to this point that they were just Gals Being Pals, and a lot of her feelings and actions were brushed off as nothing more than that. 

 

Yet here she was, struggling to figure out how to get Ran out of the sour mood she was in. They were supposed to be doing homework but Ran's increasing frustration wasn't allowing her to focus and Moca's Ran Radar wouldn't let her pay attention to anything except for the girl across the table from her.

 

Pushing her homework away and stretching across the table, Moca let out a very exaggerated sigh. “Ran, I’m bored.”

 

“I don’t care. Do your work,” responded said girl, but Moca picked up on the small amount of relaxation on her face, most likely from having a distraction from her thoughts.

 

“Don’t feel like it. Let’s do something fun instead.” Moca insisted, covering the other girl’s homework as well.

 

“Like what?”

 

“Uh,” Moca paused, trying to get her wits about her. She hadn’t expected Ran to give in so easily and assumed she’d have more time to come up with whatever “fun” thing they were supposed to do. Well, Moca had a few ideas of what they could do but she wasn’t exactly going to bring that up when she’s almost 100 percent sure that her best friend of ten years didn’t like her back.

 

“Well, are you hungry?” offers Ran. She started putting away her belongings, signalling to Moca that she was also done attempting to finish homework.

 

“I’m always hungry, Ran! Let’s go eat.”

 

“I swear, you’re only ever excited to get food and go to sleep,” Ran rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face. She could be soft every once in a while.

 

“Not true, I also get excited to see you and the others.”  _ Mostly you, though. _ Moca thought to herself.

 

The two guitarists started to get ready to go out, Moca’s mom having left money for them since she was out of town and knew Moca would be too lazy to try and cook for herself.

 

As Moca was putting her shoes on, she noticed Ran slipping on a jacket. As in the same jacket Moca had lent her days earlier. She took a second - or a minute, who knows - to appreciate Ran in her clothes for the second time that week. At this point, Moca didn’t even necessarily want the hoodie back, because she knew she’d never look as good in it as Ran did.

 

Standing up to face her, Moca looked her up and down before saying “nice jacket” and enjoying the furious blush on Ran’s face. 

 

“I meant to give it back, but I might as well use it again…” she trailed off, looking anywhere but Moca’s face. Two victories for Moca in one day.

 

“I think you should keep it, it looks nice on you.” Moca stated, still smiling.

 

“Shut up, let’s just go,” Ran pushed her way out of the house, Moca trailing behind her the same as always. The blush spreading across her face, however, was somewhat new.

 

\---

 

“Did you bring your splitter?” asked the vocalist, reaching into her (Moca’s) pocket for her phone. “I think I left mine in my regular sweater.”

 

“Nope,” Moca drawled. “I guess you’re gonna have to play your English music out loud and have everyone stare at you as you walk down the street.”

 

“Wouldn’t they be staring at you too, then?”

 

“Nope. I’m not the one with a red strand in my hair,” she teased, brushing said red hair behind Ran’s ear. “I brought it though, so no staring for now.”

 

Handing the splitter to Ran with her headphones already plugged into one end, she worked on putting the right earbud in, allowing her to hear if Ran wanted to say something.

 

Or just listen to Ran sing, because even before all of this started, Moca thought Ran's singing voice was hot. Her passion for singing and the band in its entirety was attractive to Moca too, but for some reason she never thought of it as anything else.

 

Soon enough, Ran’s music was playing through both sets of headphones, and Moca could recognize the voice enough to know it was by one of Ran’s favorite American bands.

 

“Why do you listen to so many American bands if you can’t understand what they’re saying?” Moca asked out of curiosity. She had no problem with it, mostly she just wanted to hear Ran talk.

 

“Sometimes, it’s the music itself that I like and sometimes it’s the singer’s voice. Mostly, though, I like the feeling I get when I listen to them.” Ran looked down, blushing a little. “That sounded really lame, huh.”

 

“Totally lame,” Moca grinned. “But that’s okay, I already know you’re not as cool as you try to seem.”

 

“Yeah, well, neither are you.”

 

“Meanie.”

 

The rest of the walk was in a comfortable silence, the two focusing on the song. Although she’d never admit it to the others, Moca liked to try and pick out the different guitar chords in a song and later go home and attempt to play by ear. She’s come to enjoy the guitar for longer than she thought she would, and it had absolutely everything to do with the four girls she called her best friends and bandmates.

 

The two arrived at the family restaurant they frequented when Moca’s mom was out of town, since it was fairly cheap and close to their houses. It’s become somewhat of a tradition for them, since Moca had no patience to cook herself and Ran would find a way to burn water if she were left to her own devices in the kitchen.

 

Sitting at a table for two, Moca watched as Ran fidgeted with her hands, her social anxiety always flaring up a bit in public. She reached over to put a hand over Ran’s, their eyes meeting and a soft smile spreading across Ran’s face, melting Moca’s heart a bit more; She had the kind of smile that could cure cancer.

 

“I’ve been working on lyrics for our new song,” Ran shared, opening up the notes in her phone to show Moca. “It’s a little different from our usual style, but the whole incident with the manga writing inspired me.”

 

“Moca-chan wants to help,” smiling fondly at the memory of the manga contest, she read over the lyrics again. “Even in a different style, this song screams ‘Afterglow,’ doesn’t it?”

 

“I was thinking the same thing,” she beamed with pride, something she really only did when it came to the band. “I had a lot of material to work with this time, and I kind of figured everyone would get a kick of it.”

 

The food arrived just then, and Moca pulled her phone out to take a picture of both of their meals.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“I’m posting this on Instagram. Our fans need to know that we’re eating properly.”

 

“You’re a nerd,” rolling her eyes, Ran waited for Moca to put her phone down before starting to eat her food, not wanting to ruin her picture.

 

“I’m serious, Ran! I saw some comments on our songs saying ‘are they eating healthy? Are they getting enough sleep?’ and things like that. This is my way of answering those questions indirectly.”

“My way of answering is not.” 

 

Moca snorted; What a Ran answer. “Well it's a little too late for that, I tagged you in the picture already.”

 

She didn't think it was important to mention the comments from a fan or two asking if they were on a date. Moca didn't know how to answer that herself. Yeah, they could be just friends having dinner together just like the many times before, but it's now a trend for Moca to question everything she used to just accept as is.

 

The guitarist pulled her phone out, opening her thread with Lisa to ask “is it possible to be on a date without her knowing or is it like a two party thing” before stuffing her face with more ramen.

 

_ From: my mom if she were gay and played bass _

_         I think it’s an all or nothing thing. you either both know or neither of you know _

 

_ To: my mom if she were gay and played bass _

_        so ur saying we could've been on dates for the past 10 years without either of us knowing _

 

_ From: my mom if she were gay and played bass _

_        maybe you've been dating without realizing it _

 

“who are you texting?”

 

“Lisa. She's having another gay panic over Minato-san,” lied Moca.

 

“Minato-san? Haven’t they been dating for over a year now?”

 

“Yeah, but can you blame her? Minato-san is gorgeous.”

 

“I guess,” looking down at her food, Ran looked kind of… sad? Moca could see her shoulders moving slightly, which meant she was probably fidgeting again.

 

“Aww, is Ran-chan jealous?” Moca asked, a smirk on her face. She never thought she’d see the day Ran got jealous over her calling someone attractive. “It’s okay, Ran. No one is prettier than you.”

 

Moca hoped that Ran could hear the sincerity in her voice, but for now she could only assume she had, judging by the smile and blush on her face.

 

\--

 

After dinner, they walked back to Moca’s, still listening to music through Ran’s phone. She was singing along quietly, and Moca was quietly dying - on the inside of course - because Ran sounded so  _ good _ and since she was trying to be quiet, her voice was a little raspy and it made Moca feel flustered just from the sound of it.

 

There was also the problem of their hands, brushing together every so often. Had they always done this? Was it common for them to constantly touch each other, to be close enough that Moca could feel Ran’s shoulder bumping into hers whenever someone walked past?

 

Even if this was a regular occurence, Moca wasn’t sure she was content with just letting things be the way they are. She had told Lisa that she didn’t want to risk anything, but she also wanted to try something out. She’d never find out what could happen if she left things the way they are. Of course, some things are easier said than done, and it took Moca a few more minutes of walking before she built up the confidence to grab Ran’s hand the next time they brushed together.

 

Immediately after she had done this, Ran stumbled and nearly fell. Moca considered letting go of her hand, but instead she laced their fingers together and helped Ran regain her balance. Poor Ran was embarrassed, but made no move to let go. If anything, she held onto Moca tighter, continuing their walk with a small hint of a smile on her face.

 

After realizing how close they were to Moca’s house, she walked a bit slower, just to hold Ran’s hand a little longer. Moca never really read romance novels or anything, but her thoughts were certainly fitting of one. Ran’s hands were warm, and slightly calloused from her guitar. They were just a bit smaller than Moca’s, but still they fit in hers perfectly. Moca wondered if you could die from happiness, and made a mental note to look it up later.

 

Stopping in front of Moca’s house, neither made a move for a few seconds, the two of them standing there, hands still laced between them.

 

“Are you staying the night again?” Moca asked, hoping she hadn’t sounded too desperate. As much as she really wanted her to, she had a reputation to uphold.

 

“I might, but my dad wanted to talk to me about something, so I have to go home first. I’ll text you after I ask permission.”

 

“And by that you mean you’ll just walk in using your spare key even if your father says no.” Moca grinned.

 

“Shut up,” blushing, Ran took a step back, their hands finally untangling. Moca immediately missed the feeling.

 

The other girl looked around for a second, seeming to be lost in thought. When she seemed satisfied with their surroundings, she looked back at Moca with determination in her eyes, taking a step closer to her. Moca’s heart started racing even more, nearly beating out of her chest. Ran tilted her head up slightly, pressing a soft kiss onto Moca’s cheek, furious blush on her face the whole time.

 

“See you,” Ran nearly shouted, turning to haul ass over to her house. Moca reached up, pressing her hand to her cheek, still in shock from what just happened. She must’ve looked like an idiot with the way she stared after Ran, even after she had disappeared completely into her house.

 

The only thing that brought her out of her trance was the feeling of her phone vibrating in her sweater pocket. She pulled it out to see an incoming call from Himari, and debated answering it before she noticed Himari watching her from her window. She was holding her phone in one hand and using the other to give Moca a thumbs up.

 

“Hii-chan, it’s not nice to watch people like that. You seem like a pervert,” Moca answered, hoping to whatever force was out there that Himari hadn’t seen what just transpired.

 

No luck.

 

“I don’t care what I look like, Moca, I just saw you and Ran walk home together holding hands! And then she kissed you on the cheek!” Himari yelled, loud enough that Moca had to pull the phone away from her ear.

 

“Jeez, Hii-chan, you’re gonna let the whole street know.”

 

“Does this mean you two are finally dating?”

 

“I’m gonna have to say no, Hii-chan. Everything was just like normal today until we started walking back from dinner.” Speaking of, she was still just standing on the sidewalk outside of her house.

 

As she walked to her front door, she pulled the phone away from her ear again, expecting another outburst from Himari.

 

“I can’t believe you, Moca! Watching you two is like waiting for paint to dry or something.”

 

“Well now you know how the rest of us feel about you and Tomo-chiin.”

 

“I’m going to ignore that. I guess this is progress, at least. You’re finally getting somewhere!”

 

Moca stopped in her tracks on her way to her bedroom. She hadn’t had time to think about it that way, but Himari was right. “Thanks, Hii-chan. Now if only you could do the same with-”

 

“Okay, I’m hanging up now, bye Moca!” Himari interrupted, causing Moca to laugh at her theatrics.

 

“Bye, Hii-chan.”

 

Moca walked the rest of the way to her room, plopping down on her bed and burying her face in the pillow. Yeah, she was still somewhere in between friends and lovers, but somehow things seem brighter than before, as if she really is getting somewhere.

 

Moca held onto that hope as she practiced her guitar, waiting for Ran’s text with a smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What up my dudes! I realize it's been almost two months since the last chapter but I realized that I'm not sure how to write MocaRan actually interacting and also I didn't know what I wanted them to do in this chapter so uhh sorry. Also I've been working a lot.
> 
> There's probably only gonna be one or two more chapters of this, and then maybe an epilogue type thing? I've been working on the epilogue already but I might make it a separate fic as the rating would have to go up... If you don't mind, let me know if you want it to be separate or not, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter that hopefully won't take another two months.
> 
> One more thing the leaks for bandori JP got me crying! A Christmas Afterglow event with them as kids??? Sign me the fuck up.

**Author's Note:**

> Local Afterglow stan works on a fic for months and finally decided to post it! This is my first fic in this fandom and my first real F/F despite being a lesbian! Go me! Anyway I really love Afterglow and their friendship and Moca is my best girl nfbkjdfbnj but I'm not entirely sure if I'm getting their characterization right so please bear with me! Any feedback is thoroughly appreciated :-)
> 
> I've also been wanting to write an Afterglow only chatfic but idk if I have their personalities down enough to do them justice.


End file.
